A Day in Autumn
by Cheddarchet
Summary: A story of the events occurring within and without the Black Organization leading up to Shiho's departure.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Detective Conan.

Word Count: 997

**A Day in Autumn:**

**Chapter 1: Ill Tidings  
**

Shiho was cold… very cold. It was now 3:00 A.M., twenty minutes past the appointed meeting time, and she still saw no sign of Vodka… and she was still cold. The fact that Vodka had not yet arrived wasn't entirely surprising; he tended to do it quite often, arrive late, that is. However, it was late fall, and the temperature was just above freezing. To further the mockery of her situation, she had not worn a coat because she herself had been behind schedule and disliked being late, and the idea of someone leaving their clothing store open for business until three in the morning was ridiculous.

Shiho's eyes wandered around the park once again, staring down the particularly dark alleys in the vain hope that Vodka's looming figure may appear. She began stamping her feet to try and generate some warmth, but it was to no avail. They continued to remain numb.

"_Where is he?" she thought furiously. _ Even if this was Vodka she was dealing with, he usually would've arrived at this point, and she desperately wished to return to her lab for some sleep. She shivered slightly as the breeze picked up, blowing her hair across her face and lifting the few remaining leaves into the air and across the park.

At that moment, she felt a rumble in her pocket and quickly fumbled for her cell phone. Making sure to keep the screen covered, she read the text message inside:

Meeting rescheduled, possible discovery of current location, return to lab.

Her grip tightened on the cell phone for a moment after reading the message. Shiho whirled quickly, considering a mad dash to her car, but immediately discarded the idea. If someone was actually waiting, it would be better to approach slowly. With this thought in mind, she slowly began retracing her steps along the little stone path to a small, nearly unnoticeable parking lot behind a line of stores.

She stared hard once she reached the edge of the path, seeing if there were any figures or other out of the ordinary objects… she continued to stare… and saw it. Standing off to the side with his/her back to the wall, a person was definitely standing there in wait, at least she thought so. She stared for a few moments longer, hoping she hadn't been noticed, but the figure hadn't moved. Slowly turning her head to one side, she began to gradually creep back the way she had come, into the park. She repeatedly checked over her shoulder to see if the figure followed, but she seemed to be alone.

Scanning around to see if there were any other people she should be wary of, she began making her way around the park. It would seem that she'd be walking back to the lab tonight, which, by the way, would take about 40 minutes. Had she really planned on getting some sleep?

She opened the door softly, just in case. She had managed to return to the lab with little trouble, other than that she had to walk, but she was still feeling a little paranoid. Being just as quiet, she turned softly and began closing the door when…

"You're late."

Her eyes widened for a moment, but she quickly forced herself to relax before turning around.

"You never showed up, Vodka," she was unable to keep all the accusation from her tone.

"You must've gotten the message if you're here now," he replied with a frown, "even if you're really late. Did something happen after all?"

Shiho watched him for a moment. The normally placid Vodka seemed uneasy, and she was starting to feel bothered by it.

"I thought there was someone by my car," she finally admitted. "It was dark though, so I may have been wrong."

"Or right," he muttered, now clearly frowning, "We think someone in the police discovered about the meeting."

Now Shiho was surprised. "Do you they already know who figured it out?" The news made her a bit uneasy as well. Certainly, this wasn't unheard of, but she couldn't remember another time where she had personally been involved in a discovered meeting.

"No one knows much," Vodka interrupted, "but there are some rumors of a new detective who's been helping out the police, supposed to be pretty good, too. Gin is looking into it."

Shiho said nothing, slowly digesting this new information. One detective didn't seem to be much of a threat, but if it became a danger to her or her sister… she didn't pursue that thought further.

She looked up again;" I'm assuming you're here for the prototypes?"

"Yeah," Vodka grunted, "still got 'em?"

"Obviously," she muttered before reaching into her pants pocked and pulling out a small packet. "There are six in here, completely new, just as asked." Shiho handed the packet with a frown. She felt an intense dislike for the use of her poisons, but she wasn't stupid enough to believe that she or her sister could get away with any insolence on her own part.

Vodka opened the packet briefly, checked the contents inside, and then resealed it with a nod. He looked at her once more, and without a word, made for the door.

Shiho listened to his heavy footsteps plodding down the hall for a moment before she shut the door and sat down at the computer desk. She was tired, so very tired. The clock on the computer now read 4:30 A.M.

_"No more work will be done tonight,"_ she thought with a dull sigh. Her eyes suddenly seemed infinitely heavier, now that the night's events had passed. The thought of rising early in the morning tomorrow only further galled her. She slowly began shutting down the computers in the room, listening as the whirring fans began to slow to a stop. Resting her head on her arms on the desk, she slowly began to drift off to sleep…

* * *

Hey all! Here it is, the first chapter of my first chapter story. How will it go? I pray very well, but we'll see... As always, reviews are greatly appreciated, constructive criticism or otherwise. :) I'm pretty busy with finals coming up in a few weeks though, so I probably won't update again until.... Thanksgiving? Anyway, enjoy!


	2. Passing

Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan.

Word Count: 1,107

**A Day in Autumn:**

**Chapter 2: Passing**

She blearily opened her eyes, which now seemed to be filled with sand. Slowly lifting her head, a dull ache began to throb behind her neck as it was stretched from its cramped position on the desk.

_"I'll be feeling that later," _a voice muttered in the back of her head. For the sake of convenience and sanity, she quickly banished that thought along with all the other complaints her body supplied her with and set about turning on the computers in the dim lab and refilling her abused-24/7 coffee mug. She glanced around as the computer monitors began lighting up, and noted that the time was already 8:00 A.M… She had something to do… but she couldn't quite remember…-

"Akemi!" the name escaped her mouth before she was even aware. They would be able to meet for two hours today at 8:30, and she was already behind!

_"How could I have been so careless…?"  
_Several answers relating to overwork and sleep deprivation appeared in her mind, which she strove to ignore as she got ready. She would just have to get ready a bit faster, and that was all there was to it.

And so it was that at 8:25 A.M. Shiho was striding rapidly to her car… or where her car should've been. She froze for a moment before remembering that she had had to leave it at the park the night before.

"You can't be serious," she muttered, staring angrily at where her car should have been. She broke into a run down the side of the road. The lab was on the outskirts of town, which meant she probably wouldn't find a taxi in the area, and it would take her about ten minutes to reach the shopping district. She would have to get a taxi there, then, and the taxi could probably get her to the café in about five minutes, so… if she was lucky, she could still get there around 8:40… if she was lucky. Was she ever lucky though? No, not really, not at all, it seemed sometimes. Still, doesn't everyone deserve a break every once in a while, maybe?

_"It would certainly be a nice thing to have, for once,"_ she thought wearily as she began to slow down, having reached the busier section of the city. She began to weave through the small groups of people along the walks, thankful that it was mostly empty this early in the morning.

Hailing the first taxi she found, she began forcing herself to relax. No need to worry her sister as well, assuming she had waited, which she probably had. It wasn't in Akemi's nature to give up on her so easily. Shiho allowed a small, rueful smile to appear on her face at the thought as she thought of the best way to apologize to her wonderful elder sister. She knew Akemi wouldn't be mad, maybe a little irritated, but nothing more than that. She couldn't actually remember a time in living memory when Akemi had gotten mad at her. She was just that kind of person, much better than herself.

She began to squirm as the taxi came closer and closer to the café they would be meeting at. What would she say when she saw her again? It had been several months since she had last spoken face-to-face with her sister, but not a whole lot had happened. She continued her research in the organization, remained pessimistic about life and… that was it.

She jerked her head up when the cab stopped and looked up at the expectant taxi driver. Taking a slow breath, she paid the cabbie and slowly stepped out. She forced her muscles to relax, determined to remain calm. No reason to make Akemi worry about her more than necessary, or at all, for that matter.

After one more slow breath, she entered the small little café calmly, quickly seeking Akemi amongst the small group of people already inside. It was a small place, but obviously well-cared for by the owner. All the tables looked clean, and the white tile floor glimmered. It had obviously been cleaned very thoroughly earlier, as it probably always was.

She was disrupted from her observations a moment later when she caught sight of her sister, waving her over from a small booth near the window, a bright smile already lighting her face. Though she didn't show it, Shiho was thrilled to see her again, and subconsciously sped up her pace as she walked over.

"You made it!" Akemi squealed excitedly. "I was a little worried at first. You're never late!"

"I overslept," she replied, revealing a rare, somewhat embarrassed smile. "I was up a little too late last night at the computers."

"You're always working too late in the lab! If you don't get more rest, you're going to break down, you know," Akemi frowned disapprovingly, but it only lasted a moment. "More importantly," and she leaned slightly as she spoke, "I heard there was a little trouble recently. Are you doing alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Shiho replied, shrugging her shoulders, "It was nothing to worry about. Vodka is already taking care of it."

"I see... Well, as long as you're alright, I won't complain," Akemi said at last. "Anyway, what else is new? A lot has been going on with me lately! You wouldn't believe it!" Akemi said happily.

"That's good," Shiho allowed a small smile to once again appear on her face. Her older sister was happy; she couldn't ruin it by making her worry for her now! As long as things stayed like this, she wouldn't complain.

***

"So… still no idea as to who discovered our little late night meeting, I take it?

"Nothing yet," Gin growled, "But it can only take so long. Vodka's out gathering information now, and I'll be joining him after this report, as ordered."

"Very well," the man replied after a moment, "Don't take too long about it, however. At a time like this, the last thing we need is cracks in our security. Make sure the culprit is found and dealt with… anything on the prodigy detective?"

"I'm still looking into it. It'd be a mistake to kill someone with so much publicity in the field of detective work. Police would naturally suspect foul play right away."

The man nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, I suppose that's true. However… if he is guilty, make sure you spare him nothing!"

"Yes sir," Gin nodded with pleasure. "I will be sure to deal with him efficiently and quickly if necessary."

"Good," the man nodded once more, "then you are dismissed."

* * *

Hey everyone! Sorry that took so long, seriously... There were a couple reasons why, but still, I probably could've gotten it done sooner, so, I apologize. On another note, I would like some input about this chapter. When I typed it, it felt like I was moving too slow, but after I read it, it almost seemed like I moved it too fast, hmmmm. Ah well, as always, constructive criticism (or a nice pat on the back :P) is always appreciated, so thank you for reading!


End file.
